Let’s remember when and where Stan Bowman started.
It was mid-July 2009, when the Chicago Blackhawks found themselves in a world of confusion over a series of mishandled contracts, leaving several players — notably Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker — as restricted free agents.
That was enough of a reason (excuse? pretence?) for team president John McDonough to dump then-general manager Dale Tallon and install the 36-year-old Bowman as the club’s new GM.
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Rumour mongers wondered if the Bowmans, led by patriarch Scotty Bowman, had pressured McDonough into making a change, with the club into the post-Bill Wirtz era and without a Stanley Cup since 1961.
Six years and three Cups later, it seems the change worked out, doesn’t it?
It’s also peculiar that Bowman’s name isn’t usually mentioned when insiders discuss the best GMs in the game. This year, the finalists for that award are Glen Sather (New York Rangers), Bryan Murray (Ottawa Senators) and Steve Yzerman, architect of the same Tampa Bay Lightning club that Bowman’s Hawks just defeated in six games for the 2015 Cup.
There have been five winners of the award to date. Two have been fired. Bowman hasn’t been honoured, which is sort of like Mike Babcock never having won the Jack Adams.
Go figure.
Why? Well, the shadow of his father falls heavy over Bowman the Younger, and there’s an argument that others put all the core pieces in place for the three championships, drafting the likes of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, David Bolland, Bryan Bickell, Dustin Byfuglien, Troy Brouwer and goaltender Corey Crawford, and signing players like Marian Hossa.
It’s not a particularly fair argument, because it discounts the roster maneuvering that’s been done by Bowman. But let’s assume it’s true. Let’s assume that Bowman has yet to prove his acumen as an NHL manager.
Well, now is his chance.
If you don’t want to credit Bowman with what’s been done with the Hawks in establishing a salary cap dynasty, there’s no denying that already, just 48 hours after beating the Bolts, Bowman has to be considering significant moves to put Chicago in salary cap compliance for next season.
So much for the celebration.
He’s had to do this before, although few remember. As soon as he arrived, he had to deal with the Versteeg and Barker situations, plus problematic cap-clogging contracts given to defenceman Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet.
Nonetheless, the Hawks went on to win the 2010 Cup. Immediately after, Bowman needed to chop salaries for cap reasons, moving Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Colin Fraser.
For all those players, the Hawks ultimately received a group that included Viktor Stalberg, Kevin Hayes, Adam Clendening, Justin Holl, Phillipe Paradis, Ivan Vishnevsky, Chris DiDomenico and Mirko Hofflin.
Hardly an equivalent exchange of talent. But that’s what happens when you’re dumping.
As well, the Hawks had to walk away from an arbitration award to goalie Antti Niemi, and he signed with San Jose.
Yet, somehow, the Hawks still won the Cup again two years later. Neat trick.
Now, after this third Cup under Bowman in six years, he’s again faced with serious issues.
He lost former first rounder Kevin Hayes to the Rangers last summer. He traded away his first round pick to get Antoine Vermette from Arizona and a second rounder for Kimmo Timonen.
Toews and Kane will increase their combined salaries from $12.6 million to $21 million next season, with the salary cap set to nudge upwards to only about $71 million. Bowman has $64 million in salaries tied up in 11 players right now, including three goalies.
Bodies have to go to make sense of this. Bowman has tough decisions to make. He may not be able to re-sign Vermette or Brad Richards. He may have to move Patrick Sharp and/or Bickell, or even Seabrook.
Basically, he’s got to replace proven vets with unproven, cheaper youngsters. If he can make those decisions and keep the Hawks at or near the top of the Western Conference, he’ll need to be a superior judge of talent and the cap.
If he can win another Cup in two years, like he did after dismembering his team in 2010, he’ll be a genius.
So if Bowman is ever going to get his due and been seen as one of the best GMs in the game, it will be from what he does with this championship roster.
Now, remember the timing back in ’10. He moved Byfuglien and others to Atlanta (remember the Thrashers?) before the draft, then dealt Versteeg and Ladd just as the summer free agency window opened.
So the next two weeks will be key, and many teams are in similar cap trouble. Low payroll teams – Buffalo, Calgary, Nashville – have to be targets for Bowman. You could see Sharp giving Jack Eichel a veteran winger with the Sabres. The Flames would like a big body like Bickell up front, although that playoff performance doesn’t match the contract.
Ripping up a Cup roster just days after the celebration isn’t fun, needless to say. Dean Lombardi found out with Mike Richards where emotional decisions in that situation get you.
Thing is, Bowman has already proven he can be heartless when it comes to putting the needs of his team first. Expect him to do it again.
He’s already done some work by signing free agents Kyle Baun, Artemi Panarin and Erik Gustafsson, but only Panarin is slated for NHL work next season.
Subtracting, however, is the hard part, and Bowman has shown before the math doesn’t scare him.
